Idahos dairy industry is taking a unique and proactive approach to improving worker safety with a statewide on-farm training program.

Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press

David Douphrate, assistant professor of epidemiology, human genetics and environmental sciences at the University of Texas, answers questions during a panel on a new worker training program for Idahos dairy industry during the Idaho Milk Processors Association annual conference, while Robert Hagevoort, extension dairy specialist at New Mexico State University, looks on.

SUN VALLEY, Idaho Training a largely inexperienced, non-English-speaking workforce on Idahos dairies for the ultimate goal of worker safety has become a priority for both dairymen and the processors they supply.

Unfortunately, it took a fatality on a dairy to bring it to the table, Rick Naerebout, director of operations for the Idaho Dairymens Association, said during the Idaho Milk Processors Association annual conference last week.

That tragedy occurred in February 2016, when worker Ruperto Vazquez-Carrera, 37, drowned in a waste pond after mistakenly driving a feed truck into the pond in pre-dawn hours under flooded conditions.

IDFA quickly responded to prevent future tragedies by engaging with experts in worker safety and training to figure out how to get our arms around the issue of comprehensive training, Naerabout said.

We realized we have an opportunity to do more than check a box on safety and be proactive instead of reactive, he said.

The worker training and safety program has been in development for more than a year, and IDFA has hired a full-time worker training and safety specialist to lead it. The program rolled out this week, starting at dairies owned by IDA board members.

Processors are collaborating in the program and sharing in the cost, said Daragh Maccabee, senior vice president of procurement and dairy economics for Glanbia Nutritionals.

Processors met with IDA in April 2016 to discuss a path forward, wanting to participate in a meaningful way, he said.

While there are already good practices in place, the event which drew the attention of OSHA, the United Farm Workers of American and the media highlighted a need for more structure. The primary objective of the program is to provide a safe work environment, he said.

People safety is our No.1 priority, and Glanbia wants to support the producer community in a real way, he said.

As an industry, we need to be able to show to the world we are responsible, he said.

IDFA contracted worker safety and training experts David Douphrate, assistant professor of epidemiology, human genetics and environmental sciences at the University of Texas, and Robert Hagevoort, extension dairy specialist with New Mexico State University to develop a program.

Hagevoort said the U.S. dairy industry is experiencing growing pains, with the number of operations decreasing and herd size increasing, driven by economies of scale. It is also moving to automation, with a need for high-skilled workers.

Employment on dairies is not based on skill but on willingness, resulting in a lot of foreign workers unfamiliar with large animals. And its a population challenged by reading comprehension and retention, he said.

Training has to be consistent, repetitive and comprehensive and include both classroom and live training with animals. In addition to the what, the why of safety issues and animal handling must be explained, he said.

Idahos consortium can be beneficial in developing and evaluating training materials and training the trainer to train employees, he said.

Douphrate agreed, saying the focus needs to be on safety leadership and management.

You cant be everywhere on the farm, you have to delegate and need to equip supervisors, he said.

They need to be able to effectively train workers and evaluate whether that training is being retained and workers are applying what they learned, he said.

We want a proactive approach to address injuries and fatalities before they happen, he said.

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Idaho dairy industry elevates worker safety, training - Capital Press